Pro Like the Mint, the Fox is basically a Gransport garbed in Olympia clothing and inserted into Nordica’s women’s collection. And if you’re confident in your ability to improve rapidly, it’s a great choice. Like the Mint, it shares the same basic profile of higher-performing Nordicas, with extra mass over the edges. But its core is two parts lightweight foam with one part wood down the middle. That’s done to make it less demanding, and it works to some extent. But its construction has too much integrity to lie down and skid all day, and at speeds no Aspiring Expert has any business going, testers loved the quickness and soft-snow playfulness of the lighter construction. "Great short turns with plenty of snap," said Wilde. Con Less aggressive intermediates might find them a bit strenuous.